Gov. Beverly Perdue is writing her own story.

Literally.

A new feature on Perdue's Web site includes a brief biography of each of North Carolina's governors.

"No North Carolina governor, with the exception of Zebulon B. Vance, has been as venerated as Charles Brantley Aycock (1859-1912), with whose term the Democratic Party inaugurated a seventy-two year hold on the office," reads the biography of Aycock, which also helps explain, by the way, where this weekend's Vance-Aycock dinner got its name.

It's notable, if not entirely unexpected, to find that the biography of the current governor is both longer and more boosterish than any other on the list.

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MEBANE — Four N.C. governors were among the hundreds of mourners who said farewell today to one of their predecessors, Bob Scott, who died Friday at 79.

Under gray skies and a steady drizzle, Scott was laid to rest next to his father, the late Gov. Kerr Scott, Jim Morrill reports.

The overflow crowd at Hawfields Presbyterian Church included Gov. Beverly Perdue, former Govs. Jim Holshouser, Jim Hunt and Mike Easley, and former U.S. senators Bob Morgan and Lauch Faircloth.

But Scott was remembered not just for his political achievements but for being a man who never forgot where he came from.

In the church where he was baptized, Scott's widow, Jessie Rae, recalled how her husband used to insist on coming back for services every Sunday when they lived in Raleigh.

"Robert said we had to do it for our children so they'll stay connected to the community," she said.

The small country church filled an hour before the 11 a.m. service, which Scott designed himself. The pastor said the former governor wanted an "uplifting and cheerful" service whete people sang "with gusto."

Scott was eulogized by two grandsons. But others brought their own memories.

"He was a down-to-earth fellow," said Hunt. "No pretentions about him."

Gov. Beverly Perdue will lead a delegation to the funeral in Haw River of former Gov. Bob Scott on Tuesday.

Among those expected to attend are former governors Mike Easley, Jim Hunt and Jim Holshouser, Rob Christensen reports. Ex-governor Jim Martin is in Costa Rica and is not expected to attend.

Others scheduled to go to the funeral include former U.S. Senators Robert Morgan and Lauch Faircloth.

The funeral will be held at the Hawfields Presbyterian Church. Scott's body will be pulled by caisson, followed by a riderless horse, to the graveyard.

This is at least the third time the state's political establishment has headed to Haw River for a funeral. The first time was in 1958, when former Gov. Kerr Scott, Bob's father, was buried. The second time was in 1989 when state Sen. Ralph Scott, passed away.

John Edwards' populism is not necessarily new.

During a discussion on WUNC's "The State of Things" today, N&O reporter Rob Christensen argued that Edwards' previous campaigns for U.S. Senate and president had populist strains as well.

"In his Senate campaign, he ran against the big health-insurance companies and the HMOs up in New Haven, Conn., making all the decisions, not you and your doctor. That's populism in a way," he said.

Christensen pointed out that North Carolina also has a history of populism, with the label fitting Gov. Kerr Scott and U.S. Sens. Marion Butler and Robert Reynolds. That's not surprising, he argued, given that it's long been a state of "relatively modest tobacco farmers and textile workers."

Duke University professor Kerry Haynie said Edwards' discussion of poverty was risky because it implicitly brings up difficult issues of race as well.